


Just To Prove We're Fair

by FunkyinFishnet



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Celebrations, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24185692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyinFishnet/pseuds/FunkyinFishnet
Summary: Tucker’s as pleased as a hog in swill when Otis wins his WrestleMania match and Mandy proves she’s the girl for Otis. Tucker’s even more pleased when the two of them come visiting and there’s plenty of ham hock and happiness to go around.
Relationships: Mandy Rose/Otis Dozovoic
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Just To Prove We're Fair

Tucker's voice goes hoarse from all the shouting he did in Otis’s name, watching his buddy win at Wrestlemania. He’s treating it with a cold beer when he decides to spread the word so that everyone beyond the apartment block knows what his boy’s done. Beer in hand, he works on a proud-as-papa tweet note to tell the world. He’s all thumbs, he can’t stop laughing, but he gets it and makes sure there’s an apology to Mandy in there too.

He was wrong and he’s not gonna hide it. She showed her true colors tonight and Tucker couldn’t be happier. There’s the girl Otis has adored for months, the girl who swapped weight-lifting techniques with Tucker and who spotted him in the gym without breaking a sweat. The girl he thought he knew and hey, it turns out he does.

Still, he’s real surprised and gratified when Mandy not only quote tweets him but says what a great friend he is. Tucker’s more and more impressed with her by the moment, and hammers out a thank you for how she's taking time to highlight him. She’s got to have a lot on her mind after ‘Mania so her thinking of him at all is huge. How someone treats their boyfriend’s buddies says a lot and it’s all  **real** good here.

The surprises don’t stop there though. Less than a week later, Tucker gets a gift basket. It’s mostly food, there’s a good hock of ham, a couple of great beers and a bunch of candied peaches which is the real tell before he finds the folded-up note.

_ Thanks for your support and apology. That takes a real man. _

_ Mandy Rose. _

Isn’t that something? Tucker sends a DM to thank her and makes sure Otis knows what a fine woman of good taste he’s dating. The last time Tucker got mailed food this good, it was one of his momma’s care packages and she always basts the hams personally. This is definitely up there though, it’s the thoughts behind it too. Mandy didn’t just send a ‘feel better’ card or stop at her tweet, she ordered something she knew Tucker would appreciate. And Tucker  **definitely** appreciates it, and the thought behind it. True colours and all. 

He toasts her with a beer, and then toasts Otis. His world’s too quiet and wrong right now without Otis around the apartment. They’ve been sharing space since their WWE tryout but of course since ‘Mania, Tucker’s been bunking with Mandy and Tucker’s had healing to do. Still, now he’s past the worst of it, he knows he’ll feel even better with his bro around. It’s been too long already.

Thankfully, Otis and Mandy come visiting that weekend. Otis keeps squeezing Mandy’s hand and she leans into him, like the sweet he’s got going on really doesn’t bother her at all. Tucker grins, especially when Otis lifts him in a bear hug and Mandy laughs as she’s dragged into it too. It doesn’t feel wrong at all.

“That’s my boy! A winner, a Wrestlemania winner!” Tucker crows, even as his shoulders twinge.

He’s blaming Ziggler for that, a whole lot can be blamed on Ziggler and Sonya, a couple of mean nasty brains that’re worse together. Otis lets go the moment Tucker hisses and looks worried.

“No, bro, I’m nearly fixed,” Tucker assures him. “I’ll be back real soon!”

Otis slaps his hand with a yeah that makes Mandy smile as she tells Tucker how good he’s looking. She’s as gorgeous as ever, like a movie star in a black dress that shows off her legs and every curve she’s got. She’s wearing gold earrings too that jingle when she moves and the shiny red lipstick Otis likes best.

It hits Tucker, as he and Otis catch up, that while Mandy’s celebrating here with them, seeing their friendship in HD, she lost her best friend **.** Trying to control Mandy’s choices, hurting Otis like that, it’s raw proof that Sonya’s a bad apple and good riddance but it’s still gotta hurt Mandy, right. They were super close buds, Tucker doesn’t think he’s seen Mandy hang out with anyone else. And she found out a week ago that Sonya’s been a wrecking crew aimed right at her.

Tucker can’t see any of that now in Mandy’s face though. But she said, didn’t she, in her quote tweet, what a good friend Tucker is, so it’s gotta be on her mind. When Otis goes outside to take a media call, the first thing Tucker asks is, “How’re you holding up?”

Mandy looks surprised and frowns. Tucker can see pain in those little lines, “It’s a lot. Sonya...We share an apartment. We did, she’s gone now, all her stuff went in boxes last night. Otis is really good company.”

Tucker smiles, “Yeah, he is.”

Otis is great at making problems drop away and the way he pays attention to Mandy, there’s no way her troubles carved too many lines in her with him around. Tucker couldn’t be prouder of his boy; Otis could be head-in-the-clouds distracted after winning a ‘Mania match but instead he’s treating the lady right and giving her what she needs after life swiped at her hard. Mandy doesn’t deserve any of that pain, she deserves Otis.

Mandy smiles too and all those pain lines go, because of Otis. That’s Tucker’s boy. But there’s something else in her face now instead as she asks, “You know I wasn’t trying to break his heart, right?”

Oh man, where’s this come from? They should be all clear on this now, after ‘Mania and the tweets. He nods.

“I saw the same spy cam you did. It’s all on your girl, not you.”

Mandy’s pain lines are back, wait, she doesn’t think she needs the blame here? “She won’t stop texting, I’m making us look bad by spending time with Otis, she did this for me and my career, I could do better, I shouldn’t let him call me peach…”

The hell? Peaches are sweet and delicious and all curves, it’s the perfect nickname for her. Tucker knows Mandy gets that, she never looks mad when Otis uses it.

“Sounds more like she’s thinking about  **her** career,” he points out. “And is she seeing what we’re seeing? Everyone’s crazy about you guys. My timeline’s been blowing up with it.”

Mandy nods, “She’s never cared about my dates this much before.”

“You ever date anyone like Otis before?”

Mandy smiles, it’s a sweet little thing and that right there is all the happiness Tucker wants for his boy.

“No, no one like him.”

Tucker grins and Mandy’s smile grows too, they’re grinning at each other because of Otis’s awesomeness. It’s the way it should be, Tucker’s always said so, and here’s the best girl for the moment.

“You know he sent me a ham too, when I first got sent home after Smackdown?” Tucker tells her.

Mandy covers her mouth, eyes wide with laughter and weirdly, apology, “Oh my God, you have an icebox full of ham now! I’m sorry.”

“Why? It’s every man’s dream! I’m gonna do the best ham lunch you’ve ever had, I got slaw and pickles from my momma’s store that’re like heaven.”

Seriously, Tucker didn’t say it to shame her, he said it because Mandy and Otis think on the same right lines. Speaking of, while Otis has been spending every night with Mandy in that big empty apartment of hers, giving her the good company she needs, Tucker wants Mandy to know she doesn’t need to stay away. He’s had enough quiet time.

“There’s space at our table for you, and everywhere else here. You make my boy happy.”

Mandy’s gaze runs over him. Tucker’s not offended, she got tipped over by her best friend. He wants her to know she’s welcome, and not just because she’s Otis’s sweet peach. She could do with a place that isn’t full of Sonya memories, a place that’ll make her pain lines run away.

“Thanks,” she answers, with one of her big beautiful smiles and no lines at all. “I might take that.”

“As much as you need,” Tucker tells her firmly.

They can split the rent even finer this way and when he’s back on weight training, Mandy can spot him again. Sonya can’t try any more tricks if Mandy’s here too.

Otis is back now, phone clenched in one hand, the other already reaching for Mandy as he settles down beside her. Mandy doesn’t care that Otis is sweating even more now and smudging every part of her he touches.

“You check out the kitchen yet? Momma sent a box,” Tucker tells him.

“Your momma’s pickles are here?” Otis’s eyebrows do the jagged-up thing they do whenever Tucker’s momma’s store gets a shout out.

“She sent a whole mason jar just for you.”

Otis crows, “Oh, you are gonna love this, peach. His momma does the best preservin’ you’ve ever tasted. You stick a bit of that oil in brisket, it’s the best thing in the world, well, one of ‘em.”

He’s looking at Mandy now in the way that makes Tucker fist pump and Mandy smile easy sunshine bright. Tucker eases his way up to his feet. That feels better than it did two days ago. He’s almost there; he misses the gym and lifting tyres and dropping hammers. They’ve got a course set up in the yard out back, Mandy needs to see it. She was talking a few weeks back about wanting to work more on her arms. They can do that here, they’ve got everything Mandy needs.


End file.
